A Craze for Flavor: Pushing the Envelope with Glazed & Confuzed

Josh Schwab’s creations at Glazed & Confuzed Donuts have quickly become a staple of the Denver donut scene. Schwab got his start selling donuts at farmers’ markets and local cafes, then opened a brick and mortar location in 2013. With donuts ranging from chipotle to root beer float, it is easy to understand how Glazed & Confuzed became so popular, but Schwab cares about more than unique flavor combinations. Using natural, organic, and local ingredients is just as important as coming up with good flavors.

Schwab’s love for donuts started with a family tradition of his grandfather bringing a dozen donuts to Sunday dinner. After completing his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, Schwab moved to Hawaii and worked as a baker and chef at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion, where he was able to experiment and learn about different flavor combinations.

Schwab moved to Denver and started working at The Hole, a gourmet donut and beer shop that didn’t last very long, but was where he first realized that there was more to donuts than just the basic glazed. After a stint in real estate, Schwab decided to make a batch of donuts and try his luck at a farmers’ market. He sold out that day and every day after, and to the delight of their devoted customers, finally opened a store on Leetsdale Drive in Denver.

There is a method to the madness beyond throwing flavors together and seeing what happens, and I wanted to get some insight into the donut design process. I took a trip to Glazed & Confuzed to talk to donut artist Josh Schwab and Sarah Hafdahl, the CFO, who is also Schwab’s sister-in-law.

Paste: How do you come up with your ideas and flavors?

Josh Schwab: The first few ideas were from our favorite desserts, like the caramel apple donut. I also have a lot of experience building sauces with the most amount of flavor. For example, if I’m putting something together, I’ll start with the brown butter, than add sugar, then cream. There are steps to developing flavors instead of just throwing something together. I also try to take basic ideas and make them a little more creative, like using macadamia nut butter instead of peanut butter.

Sarah Hafdahl: We also try to bring in traditional flavors from Hawaii, where we lived before moving to Denver, and we will try things that customers recommend, too.

Paste: How many times do you have to try out a recipe before it works?

JS: Every once in awhile, I get it on my first try, but a lot of our best donuts come from mistakes, like when root beer accidentally got poured into the chocolate and the chocolate cola donut was born. It also helps that I know the flavor profiles, so I have a good idea of what will go well together.